This IBM® Redbooks® publication provides a basic introduction to the IBM System Storage® N series, virtualization, and VMware. It explains how to use the N series with VMware vSphere 4 environments and the benefits of doing so. Examples are given on how to install and set up VMware ESXi server with the N series.

This edition includes information about the Virtual Storage Console (VSC), which is another N series software product that works with VMware. VSC provides local backup and recovery capability. You have the option to replicate backups to a remote storage system by using SnapMirror relationships. Backups can be performed on individual virtual machines or on datastores with the option of updating the SnapMirror relationship as part of the backup on a per job basis. Similarly, restores can be performed at a data-store level or individual virtual machine level.

IBM System Storage N series in conjunction with VMware vSphere 4 helps complete the virtualization hierarchy by providing both a server and storage virtualization solution. Although this configuration can further assist with other areas of virtualization, networks, and applications, these areas of virtualization are not covered in detail in this book.

Chapter 1. Introduction to IBM System Storage N series

Chapter 2. Introduction to virtualization

Chapter 3. Benefits of N series with VMware vSphere 4.1

Chapter 4. Planning for an N series and VMware vSphere 4.1

Chapter 5. Installing the VMware ESXi 4.1 using N series storage

Chapter 6. Installing and configuring VMware vCenter 4.1

Chapter 7. Deploying LUNs on N series for VMware vSphere 4.1

Chapter 8. N series cloning

Chapter 9. Configuring snapshots

Chapter 10. Recovery options

Chapter 11. Backup and recovery to a separate system

Chapter 12. High availability and disaster recovery

Chapter 13. Deduplication with VMware vSphere 4.1

Chapter 14. Virtual Storage Console

Appendix A. Hot backup Snapshot script

Appendix B. Sample scripts for VSC